Amidst allegations by Pakistan over accidental misfire of an Indian missile into Pakistan territory, defence minister Rajnath Singh, on Tuesday, said standard operating procedures (SOPs) for “operations, maintenance, and inspection” of such systems were being reviewed.
Making a statement in both houses of Parliament, Rajnath Singh, without naming the name of the missile claimed that "We attach the highest priority to the safety and security of our weapon systems. If any shortcoming is found, the same would be immediately rectified."
Rajnath's response came two days after the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs sought “a joint probe to accurately establish the facts surrounding the incident” as the missile had landed in Pakistani territory. Terming it as a “profound level of incompetence”, Islamabad went into to call upon New Delhi to explain if the missile was indeed handled by its armed forces or some 'rogue elements.'
"I can assure the House that the missile system is very reliable and safe. Moreover, our safety procedures and protocols are of the highest order and are reviewed from time to time," Rajnath Singh said while adding that "our Armed Forces are well-trained and disciplined and are well experienced in handling such systems."
During routine maintenance and inspection, a missile was accidentally released at around 7 pm on March 9. It was later learnt that the missile had landed inside Pakistan territory. "While this incident is regretted, we are relieved that nobody was hurt due to the accident," Rajnath Singh said. Though India has not officially named the missile, it is a BrahMos supersonic cruise missile without a warhead.
On Friday, India's ministry of defence issued a statement, in which, while regretting the incident, it has inadvertently mentioned that "in the course of a routine maintenance, 'a technical malfunction' led to the accidental firing of a missile". The term ' technical malfunction' has upset the developers of the BrahMos missile, which is India's most advanced missile system.
So, today, Rajnath Singh carefully did not use the word, as it could have discredited the missile's capability. BrahMos is India's only missile that is going to be exported. The Philippines has become its first customer.
Taking a serious note of the incident, India has ordered a high-level inquiry that would determine the exact cause of the accident.
